Kamehameha Schools will begin experimenting this fall with a merit-based pay program with hopes of eventually phasing in the system throughout its campuses.

Officials said they hope the new system, which will reward teachers and administrators for setting and attaining professional goals, will help Kamehameha attract new educators. Dubbed Ka Pi'ina, meaning to ascend, officials also say the system will help retain young educators, who often leave the profession after less than five years.

While the program will ultimately reward teachers through incentives and pay increases, next year's pilot program will be conducted using "virtual pay." Participants will see simulations of changes that may occur to their pay through a virtual system, which will allow the school to work out any kinks during the test.

Rod Chamberlain, vice president for campus strategies, said the program looks to address the shortcomings of the traditional pay scale, which is often tied to degrees and years of service, in order to attract young educators.

"When I entered the profession ... it took you 25 years to get to the top," Chamberlain said.

"We now have people who say I am smart, I am capable, I want to move more quickly. ... They say, you want me to wait 30 years? I'll find another profession," he said.

Once the results of the test are compiled, officials will consider how best to implement the program throughout Kamehameha Schools. And once implemented, Kamehameha would join Maryknoll School as the only education institutions in Hawai'i using merit-based pay programs.

MARYKNOLL PIONEER

Since 2006, Maryknoll has been phasing in a system that measures teachers based on effectiveness, demonstration of content knowledge, instructional strategies and other criteria. Teachers are awarded additional pay based on their growth and their demonstration of evaluation criteria.

Merit-based pay is controversial in the education field, with many educators saying it's difficult to measure teaching results.

In a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute examining merit pay in schools, researchers found that many of the criteria used to evaluate teachers are subjective. The study also found that "formulaic reward structures" often reward only a few aspects of a teacher's job, which often leads to neglect of other areas not rewarded.

Those who voluntarily participate in the Kamehameha pilot program will receive stipends, said Sylvia Hussey, vice president of Education Support Services.

"Variable pay is the way we described it," Hussey said. "Merit pay has the implication that there are a limited amount of resources to be allocated."

Hussey also said the way merit pay has traditionally been implemented is too subjective. Officials are working on criteria that analyze teachers based on the fact that they have "multidimensional" jobs, she said.

Kamehameha officials say their intention is not just compensation based on performance, but a program that helps teachers become better educators.

Kamehameha already has professional development programs in place throughout its system, Hussey said. Ka Pi'ina would recognize the efforts already under way and add more opportunities for teachers to grow.

Only about 1,000 staff members will voluntarily participate in the pilot project next year, she said. Most will be teachers, Hussey said.

Don Kroessig, Kameha- meha School Faculty Association president and a middle school teacher at the Kapalama campus, said teachers are waiting to see how the pilot project plays out before passing judgment.

"There is a recognition that when you come into teaching, you're basically on a slow steady climb toward a professional wage. Typically, that doesn't happen until you've been in the profession for 25 years or more," Kroessig said.

"It's very positive from that standpoint. I'd say the trepidation that teachers have is that it is significantly different than the way compensation is handled right now," he said.

'ABOVE AND BEYOND'

Liana Honda, a technology teacher at Kamehameha Schools' Big Island campus, said Ka Pi'ina adds an "accountability piece" and ensures teachers stay focused on improving as educators.

Honda noted that the traditional pay structure for teachers often turns young teachers away from the profession. Ka Pi'ina would recognize those who go "above and beyond," she said.

"Within the next 10 years, over 50 percent of our teachers will be eligible for retirement, and so being able to recruit those quality (young) educators becomes critical," Honda said.